Switzerland have included Patrick Muller in their provisional Euro 2008 squad even though he has not played a competitive game all season.The Lyon defender suffered a pre-season knee injury before tearing his cruciate ligament when attempting his comeback in the reserves in December.

The 31-year-old played in a reserve game last week and evidently did enough to impress watching Swiss coach Kobi Kuhn, who named him in a provisional 26-man squad on Tuesday.

Muller said in December he had "a 0.00001% chance" of playing for the co-hosts in the tournament.

Now his prospects look better, and there is a chance he could play in the final of the Coupe de France on May 24.

Kuhn is hopeful of having the defender available for the summer tournament.

"It's going to be very close," he told the Swiss FA's website.

Also needing to prove his fitness his Borussia Dortmund full-back Philipp Degen, who has been suffering from a leg injury.

Absent from the squad are David Degen, Reto Ziegler and Fabio Celestini, who was unimpressive in recent friendlies against Austria and the United States.

Kuhn has confirmed that Neuchatel Xamax goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler is second in line to Diego Benaglio.

"Pascal is my number two," he said. "That is logic talking."

Kuhn is expected to narrow his squad down to 23 on May 28. Arsenal centre-backs Johan Djourou and Phillipe Senderos, and Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes are among the players included.

Tournament co-hosts Switzerland begin their campaign against the Czech Republic in Basel on June 7, before further Group A games against Turkey and Portugal.

Provisional Switzerland squad for Euro 2008:

Goalkeepers: Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Coltorti (Racing Santander), Zuberbuhler (Neuchatel Xamax).

Defenders: Degen (Borussia Dortmund), Djourou (Arsenal), Eggimann (Karlsruhe), Grichting (Auxerre), Lichtsteiner (Lille), Magnin (Stuttgart), Muller (Lyon), Senderos (Arsenal), Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Von Bergen (Hertha Berlin).

Midfielders: Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Behrami (Lazio), Cabanas (Grasshoppers), Fernandes (Manchester City), Gygax (Metz), Huggel (Basle), Inler (Udinese), Vonlanthen (Salzburg), Yakin (Young Boys).

Forwards: Derdiyok (Basle), Alex Frei (Borussia Dortmund), Nkufo, Streller (Basle).

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